This model unit, intended for elementary and intermediate level students, inventories Alaska's historic sites and examines the values of preservation. The unit can easily be adapted for use by teachers in other parts of the country. The objective is to introduce an awareness of the architecture and structural aesthetics of our man-made past and a…

This teacher's resource packet includes a number of items designed to support teachers in the classroom before and after visiting Mervyn's Moving Mission. The packet includes eight sections: (1) welcome letter in English and Spanish; (2) summary timeline of California mission events in English and Spanish; (3) objectives and curriculum links; (4)…

This curriculum unit takes the form of historical fiction, an original story for middle school students which revolves around the 16th-century Spanish conquest of Guatemala and the Mayan people. Incorporated into the story are many of the Mayan sites, ruins, geography, culture, legends, historical characters, and cities. The climax is set at the…

This lesson plan introduces students (grades four-six) to Creole New Orleans architecture exemplified by "Sun Oak" in the Faubourg Marigny section of the city. Students will learn architectural terms; use line and shape in relation to architectural details; discuss why buildings work architecturally; and draw an historic building using…

This booklet provides information so that teachers can prepare their grade 5 and above students for a visit to the Cape Cod National Seashore historic site. Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed here in 1620. The booklet contains pre-visit, on site, and post-visit activities, along with a list of educational objectives and materials needed. It also…

North Carolina's state capitol rises majestically on Union Square in downtown Raleigh, a city created in 1792 to serve as North Carolina's permanent capital. Built between 1833-40, the granite building is one of the finest and best preserved examples of civic Greek Revival architecture in the United States. This lesson is based on the National…

Under the light of dawn, Union Admiral David Farragut began his attack on Mobile Bay, Alabama. Aware of the danger near Fort Morgan (Alabama), Farragut ordered his captains to stay to the eastward of the easternmost buoy because it was understood there were obstructions between the buoys. The ironclad USS Tecumseh, unable to avoid the danger,…

Design and technology are subjects that are about the real world, involving the application of scientific and related knowledge to a problem. The built environment is an excellent context for work in this area, as every building involves both design ideas and technological skills. This guide suggests practical activities and ideas for using the…

This learning packet provides background information about Hoover Dam (Nevada) and the surrounding area. Since the dam was built at the height of the Depression in 1931, people came from all over the country to work on it. Because of Hoover Dam, the Colorado River was controlled for the first time in history and farmers in Nevada, California, and…

This lesson describes and discusses the submerged remains of the battleship USS Arizona which rests on the silt of Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), just as it had settled on December 7, 1941, the day Japan attacked the U.S. fleet and began the Pacific battles of World War II. The lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file,…

The massive masonry defenses of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, which were begun in the 16th century, exist today as the oldest European-style fortifications within the territory of the United States. This lesson is based on the World Heritage Site nomination file and the National Park Service Handbook, "San Juan: The Forts of Old San Juan."…

The rhythmic noises of the turning water wheel and the roar of the furnace blast never stopped at Hopewell Furnace (Pennsylvania) during its years of operation (1771-1883). As long as the furnace was in blast, the ironworkers' jobs were safe. In case of trouble, they could escape to the woods, fields, and creeks of rural Pennsylvania. Now a…

On a bluff in Stafford County, Virginia, overlooking the Rappahannock River and the town of Fredericksburg beyond, stands the 18th-century plantation house called Chatham. For years this house stood as the centerpiece of a prosperous estate supported by nearly 100 slaves. Between 1862 and 1864 it became, in turn, an army headquarters, a…

The backwoods county seat of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, was the site of a pivotal battle on March 15, 1781, in the Revolutionary War's decisive southern campaign. The engagement set the stage for the region's liberation from enemy occupation and impelled British general Lord Charles Cornwallis to take the ill-fated road that led him to…

Henry Hopkins Sibley shared his nation's destiny of spanning the American continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Sibley's nation was the Confederate States of America, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis shared Sibley's vision of southern manifest destiny. President Davis authorized Sibley to raise volunteers for the Confederate Army of…